Erdogan: No Free Movement for Israel in E. Mediterranean

Arutz Sheva ^ | 9/15/11 | Chana Ya'ar

[Nachum]

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan told Tunisians on Thursday his country could have frigates and assault vessels in the eastern Mediterranean ''at any time'' to ensure freedom of movement. Israel's security cabinet has made a firm decision, however, not to respond to Erdogan's verbal attacks, in an attempt to avoid further inflaming the delicate diplomatic situation with Turkey. (snip) ''Israel will not be able to move in the eastern Mediterranean as it wishes,'' Erdogan said at a joint news conference with his counterpart, Interim Prime Minister Beji Caid el Sebsi. ''It will see our determination in this regard.''

[Nachum]

It would be a shame if one or two of those nice Turkish Navy boats happened to sink.

[juliej]

Erdogan is such a damned fool. Just read that Greece is becoming closer to Israel now. Serves the Turks right!

[Truth29]

Man made reefs are so good for marine life. Does the Eastern Med need any?

[Daveinyork]

Erdogan may be trying to maneuver Israel into a war with NATO. Recent experience would have me putting my money on Israel in that confrontation.

[Diogenesis]

Turkey sells a lot of food and other products in the USA.

Boycotting Turkish products in favor of Greek
substitutes seems quite reasonable based upon such talk.

Ἑλληνιστὶ πρὸς τοὺς παρόντας ἐκβοήσας, «Ἀνερρίφθω κύβος», διεβίβαζε τὸν στρατόν.
– Plutarch, Life of Pompey, 60.2.9[1]

[mapmaker77]

You forget that greeks don’t pay their bills and jews like to get payed.

[rawhide]

I would to read of a Israeli smackdown of this Turkish bully! Dare the Turks to back up their spineless yaps!

[CarWashMan]

I agree. Israel will not be able to move around the Eastern Med. as it wishes. It will have to spend alot of time steering around desroyed Turkish Navy ships.

[ClearCase_guy]

That almost seems like a declaration of war -- Israel no longer has freedom of the seas.

Turkey is foolish. Israel is trying to hold back and not get sucked into a problem, but in other times I think a nation like Israel would just go out and sink a few Turkish vessels just to make a point.

[robowombat]

One possibility is that Erdrogan is interested in setting up a situation where the Israeli Naval Forces will be provoked by engaging in near collisions kr refusing to abide by general rules of navigation. The goal is a shooting incident. After which Turkey will invoke the NATO ‘an attack on one is an attack on all’ doctrine. The goal is to make trouble and try and get some sort of NATO sanction on Israel. Since Erdogan is anti Turk military getting a frigate sunk would be no big thing and a ‘great victory’ if it got Israel sanctioned.

[blueunicorn6]

Turkey must have got some new rowers for their galleys.

[ZULU]

If we had the right man in the White House, somebody would be on the horn to this bastard to tell him to stop the incendiary rhetoric and he better not touch a single Islraeli ship or face immediate and serious retaliation.

My guess is the Pigs in Saudi Arabia are encouraging this.

[Sea Parrot]

Hey turks, play around, lay around.

[Gritty]

Turkey is a member of NATO.

Could this be our next war... with the USA on the side of it's NATO partner and against Israeli "aggression" in the eastern Med if the shooting starts and Turkey claims it is attacked?

[Jim Scott]

I have no insight on Turkish politics but I suspect that Obama’s public distancing of the U.S. (well, his administration, anyway) from Israel is emboldening Turkish P.M. Erdogan to risk foolish provocations against Israel. Erdogan also knows full well that any attack on a Turkish ship by Israel, no matter how egregious the provocation, would be met with severe condemnation from the Obama administration and the risk of a coordinated attack on Israel from it’s neighbors, who need little excuse to kill Jews. Whatever Erdogans motivation, this will not end well for anyone involved, especially the Turks.

[Olog-hai]

It should be the USA threatening Turkey on this score. The leftists, by tying our hands in Afghanistan and Iraq, now made us look weak, so the Islamic faction in Turkey stood up very quickly and killed Atatürk’s legacy of Turkey being the first country in Asia Minor to recognize the State of Israel.

[Little Ray]

The Turkish Navy is considerably larger than the Israeli Navy and comparable from a technological point of view. The Israelis have other areas they need to cover, too. The only edge the Israelis have is in the air.
This could get bad.

[mojito]

Every day there's another belligerent, obnoxious statement out of the Turkish PM’s mouth.

And not one out of Prince Barry's or anyone from the State Dept.

Their silence speaks volumes.

[beebuster2000]

i agree ray.

turkey is a serious military power. they are not syria or even egypt. bad news if israel ends up tangling with them, especially if its part of a move by PLO, syria, Egypt all at the same time.

[demkicker]

All of the GOP presidential candidates need to come out in unison and warn Turkey to back off with their inflammatory rhetoric.

And Israel needs to have cameras onboard every ship to record any hostile Turkish activity. Let the sunshine in and expose these devils.